For the Love of
by Erymanthos
Summary: AU: Inuyasha was a slacker who didn't care much about anything... until a certain cat barged into his life. Now, thanks to Kagome, his life has taken a turn for the better... but who knew that one cat could do so much to turn everything upside down?
1. I Found You

Chapter 1: I Found You

My next story! I think I'm going to enjoy working on this... and I hope you'll enjoy reading it. That's kind of the point, after all. :) Please R&R! I accept any kind of review... it's the best way to improve where you need improvement, in my opinion.

Disclaimer: Inuyasha does not belong to me. Neither does _Get Fuzzy_ by Darby Conley, or Bucky, from said comic by said author. The little plot thing where Bucky is attempting to be a model also does not belong to me, but was originally thought of and published by Darby Conley- I just happened to be reading the funnies that day. That done, no sueing of the poor fanfic author, please! Oh, and Ninerkaj Hospital does not exist.

* * *

"Inuyasha, you slacker! Get in here and stack these boxes!" 

"What?! I already stacked them like you told me to!"

"Oh, so you call _this _stacked?!" The white haired youth's irate boss marched over, grabbed him by his collar, and dragged him to the back room. "THIS is stacked?!" The boss threw open the door to reveal boxes strewn all over the place, as if thrown about.

Inuyasha pondered, then shrugged. "Looks fine to me."

A vein in his boss's temple started throbbing. "Clean… this… up… right now," he growled at his employee. "NOW!" And with that, he stalked off, fuming beneath his breath.

"Ouch… that hurt. I can hear you, you know," Inuyasha called after him.

"AARRRGH!!!"

Chuckling to himself, Inuyasha bent to his task.

* * *

"WHAT IS THIS?!" 

"Boxes. STACKED boxes."

"This is all wrong!" The boss marched up and down the rows, yelling his head off. "Wrong, wrong, wrong!!"

"But… I stacked them…"

"You didn't do it right!" Inuyasha's boss bore down on him, snarling. "They're all unorganized! Every single one is in the wrong order! Why can't you do anything right, you imbecile?!"

Inuyasha blinked innocently at him, feigning hurt. "Well, gee, Boss, maybe I'd be able to do better if you weren't so mean to me."

"I'm not _mean_, I'm just trying to teach you some common sense!" The boss inhaled deeply, then exhaled, several times. When he had assured himself that he was calmer, he started ranting again. "That's it! That does it! I've had it with you! I tried to be patient with you, sure that all you needed was time and that you'd come around, but now…"

Inuyasha yawned and looked at his watch. "Get to the point, old man. I have work to do."

A gleeful and quite uncharacteristic grin lit up the boss's face. His delinquent employee fell back in fear. "Not anymore, you don't… YOU'RE FIRED."

* * *

"We had a deal, Jimmy." 

"So we did… but deals were always made to be broken."

"You know what happens to the BLEEPs that break their promises?"

"Yeah…"

BANG.  
BANG.  
BANG-BANG.

"AUGH!"

"…They kill the BLEEPs that were stupid enough to believe them in the first place."

As the top gangster Jimmy shot up his rival in money, Inuyasha mentally taped his boss's head over the rival's. Acquiring the desired effect, he gave a sardonic grin and took a swig of his drink.

Mid-way into the old TV movie, in the middle of a great car chase, he heard a faint scratching at the door. Although he listened, he didn't hear it again, so he chalked it up to his imagination and turned his attention back to the TV screen.

A few minutes later, though, something scratched at the door again.

"What the…?" Inuyasha got up and went to open the door… only to find nobody there!

"This sucks… Am I going crazy? That does it. Less TV, earlier bedtime." He nodded firmly. Yes, that was a good plan. He'd act upon it tonight… no, the movie was still on. Or maybe tomorrow. No, that was the football game. The day after that would be better… Or…

His thoughts were interrupted by a faint mew somewhere down around his feet. He looked down and saw a bedraggled cat sitting there, wet from the rain falling down outside and with bits of grass, leaves and twigs tangled in its long fur. "Huh? A cat?" He questioned the obvious. "What are you… HEY!" He shouted as the cat suddenly got to its feet and streaked between his legs into his apartment. He followed it, slamming the door behind him. "Hey, get back here! I didn't say you could come in! In fact, I want you out!" He yelled as the cat jumped up onto his chair and sat down, assuming great interest in the gangster movie. "I want you out NOW! Come on!"

Approaching the chair, he reached out and grabbed the cat none too gently around the middle, ready to haul its sorry bum to the door and throw it out into the cruel world to fend for itself. But before he could even touch so much as a hair, the cat raised a paw and sharply slapped his hand. Five thin, bloody stripes were left behind.

Inuyasha yelped in pain and glared at his wounds before turning the glare on the cat. "That… does it." He made another grab for it, only to receive yet another stinging rebuke, this time on his arm. Several more times he attempted to evict the feline before finally giving up.

"Stubborn little bugger, aren't you," he growled, scrutinizing the nice red criss-cross patterns he now sported on both arms. "Fine. You can stay, since you're so insistent… but only for tonight! Tomorrow I'm throwing you out even if I have to call pest control."

Grumbling and muttering to himself, Inuyasha stalked off to the bathroom to search for some band-aids and anti-septic while the cat happily curled its triumphant little self up on the chair, its green eyes riveted on the TV screen.

"Jimmy, I'm… Jimmy? Jimmy, what is it? Why do you have a _gun _in your hand?!"

"Don't play innocent, Sally. I know you've been cheating on me."

"Jimmy… Love-puddin'! Darlin', that's not true! It's not, a-and you know it! Oh, Jimmy, you know you're the only one for me…"

"Oh, yeah? Then what's this I hear about you going down to the Five of Clubs with Carl last night… and dancing _all_ the slows with him?"

"L-lies… Horrible, spiteful lies…"

"Sally, I've told so many lies in my life, and been told a thousand more, that by now I can see through any that come my way… I see one now, coming right out of your dirty, lying mouth."

"J-Jimmy, please… don't do this! _Sugar-cake_!!"

BANG.

* * *

Inuyasha was swimming. He didn't know how. He didn't know why. He just was. He was swimming, and the sky was blue. 

Suddenly, he went under. He tried to fight to the surface, but he couldn't… he'd forgotten how to swim! His clothes were dragging him down… he couldn't breathe…

Inuyasha shot up in bed with a shout, gasping for air, before he realized it had all been just a dream. He sighed in relief… then yelled as he felt five needles get jabbed into his leg.

He looked down. There was that damned cat, its claws sunk quite snugly down into his calf, looking at him reproachfully.

That's when he remembered the drowning. And he realized that the cat had probably been lying on his face… blocking his nose… therefore blocking his air… and when he'd woken up, the cat had fallen off.

Henceforth, divine punishment.

"Stupid cat… get off of me!" He tossed the cat off the bed, before swinging out of bed himself and getting dressed. As he pulled a shirt over his head, he looked at his alarm clock… 5:56 a.m. He groaned and stomped out of his room. Even if he could sleep in now that he didn't have a job anymore, he didn't want to take any more chances with that damned cat around. So… maybe he'd better use the opportunity to look for a new job.

Maybe.

Once out in the kitchen- kitchenette, was more like it- he started up the coffee machine and put some bread in the toaster. Then, he turned around to wait for the toast to toast and the coffee to heat up… and there was the cat again, staring up at him with those big, green eyes.

Inuyasha glared back. The cat didn't react. It just stared. And stared.

_So, it wants to play that way, huh? Well, no way I'm losing to some dumb animal_…_ Especially not this one._ So he stared right back. And stared. And stared.

The cat continued staring.

His eyes started to sting. Then they filled up with tears. But he refused to give in. He'd show the cat who was boss around here! That you can't just go up and stab anyone with your claws that you happen to meet for no good reason.

His eyes were burning. And still the cat stared…

"GAH!" Inuyasha squeezed his eyes shut, clamping a hand over them and rubbing vigorously. Oh, the agony… and the pain was only worsened by the knowledge that he had LOST. To a CAT.

A _CAT_.

Surely he hadn't fallen _that _far…

Finally, the cat closed its eyes… accompanied by a violent sneeze.

Why couldn't it have sneezed sooner?

Shaking his head, Inuyasha morosely turned back to the toaster as his toast popped up, then poured the coffee into a mug and sat down at the table that was placed outside the kitchenette, as that was the only place it would fit. Even if it was more like a school desk than an actual table.

He picked up his toast and was about to bite into it, when he paused suddenly and frowned. Something was missing…

He had it. Getting up, he shuffled over to the door and opened it, then squatted down and picked up the newspaper thrown onto the doormat. The door was half-way closed when he paused yet again, turning towards the cat.

"All right… I've kept my promise.. now I expect you to keep yours," he said, feeling a sudden rush of de ja vu. Where had he heard something like that before?

In answer, the cat plopped its furry butt right down on his favorite- and only- TV chair and acted like it had grown roots. Inuyasha groaned. "Come on, get out. I don't have all day."

The cat curled up and happily began snoring little kitty snores.

He was starting to get seriously ticked off now. "Stupid cat… do I have to spell out everything for you? Door-" he pointed at the open door. "You-" he pointed at the cat. "Out." He pointed at the door once more. "Capiche?"

Then he slapped himself on the forehead. "What am I doing, talking to a cat like it understands me? Ugh…" He marched over, picked the cat up, and hauled it over to the door. He then tossed it out into the hallway and slammed the door shut.

"And don't come back!" He yelled through the wood.

Inuyasha went back to his breakfast, but he hadn't taken five bites of his toast when he heard a familiar scratching. "Go away!" He hollered, fiercely tearing off a bit of toast and chewing it vigorously. He flapped the newspaper briskly to straighten it out. What was going on in _Get Fuzzy_ today? That Bucky still trying to be a model? Hah. As if. Even _he_ would make a better model than Bucky!

…Wait…

* * *

All throughout the morning and into the early afternoon the scratching continued, accompanied by insistent mewing. Inuyasha did his best to ignore it. Instead he watched the daily morning news and a kung-fu movie, all the while sipping his coffee. 

Eventually, silence fell, and he breathed an internal sigh of relief. That was obviously the end of that! Who was the boss now?

Then:

"_MROOOWWWWEEOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWRRRR….. MEEEEERRRRWOOOOOWWWWWWW…. MOOORRROOOOWWWWW…."_

Inuyasha swore and clapped his hands over his ears. "What the hell?!" He shouted. His voice was drowned out by the din from the hallway.

He sat there for a few seconds, hoping the infernal noise would cease, but when the cat showed no signs of letting up he finally got up, sprinted over to the door and yanked it open. "All right, all right! You can come back in! Just shut the hell up!!"

Immediately, the discordant sonata stopped. The cat daintily stepped back into the apartment, jauntily twitching its tail.

"Yeah, yeah," Inuyasha muttered, pushing the door shut. "Stupid cat, what am I going to do with-"

He was interrupted by another violent sneeze from the cat, followed by five more in succession.

"What the… what's wrong with you?" He asked incredulously. "Allergies… or… Oh, no… don't tell me you're sick!"

The cat sneezed once more- actually, it was more like a kind of raspy, hacking sound- and sniffled. Inuyasha sank down on his haunches, staring at the cat eye-to-eye. "Man… it's from being out in the rain last night, probably… and I don't know a thing about animals and colds… or animals in general," he muttered half to himself. "Why me…?"

For several minutes he pondered. What should he do? He was hardly adept at taking care of anything… Much less himself, he admitted grudgingly. After all, he had yet to find a good 9th job.

He didn't care about this thing… hadn't it been doing its best to make his life miserable since he first laid eyes on it? On the other hand, he didn't exactly want it dying on him… Contrary to many of his ex-boss's beliefs, he wasn't _that_ heartless.

Finally, through sheer strength of will, he decided to do the only thing he knew to do in this sort of situation.

He picked up the phone and dialed.

A woman answered politely on the other end. "Hello, Nirnekaj Hospital, how may I help you?"

"Hey, get me Sesshomaru," Inuyasha replied brusquely.

There was a short silence in which he could practically picture the receptionist raising an eyebrow at his rudeness. He wasn't particularly in the mood to care. "One moment please. I will see if the doctor is available…. May I ask why you are calling, sir?"

"It's… erm… about a… Look, just tell him it's his brother, okay?"

"Personal calls are not-"

"It's not personal, it's about a- patient!" He practically yelled.

"…One moment, please, sir." There was an audible _thunk_.

"Thanks," he said derisively, even though he could tell that she had put down the phone.

After about a minute, there was a click. "What do you want?" A condescending male voice demanded.

"Nice to talk to you too, brother," Inuyasha replied in a sarcastic tone.

"Save it, Inuyasha. I'm quite busy, and if you've only called to make idiotic comments, then-"

"No, wait, I…" He gritted his teeth. "I need… some help."

"…Oh, really? You mean you've only just realized…"

"Shut up, Sesshomaru! Look, I've got this cat here, and it's sick, and you're a doctor, so…"

A silence, much like the receptionist's. Then, "_That_ is the only reason you called?"

"What do you mean, _the only reason_? What other reason do you need?" Inuyasha yelled.

"Say your arm had been decapitated, or an artery punctured, or your apartment burned down and you'd suffered third-degree burns all over your body… then I might, with suitable convincing, be motivated to help you. But a _cat_? For now, dearest brother, all the advice I can offer is… _Don't _call me again."

"Hey, wait! Sesshomaru…!" Then Inuyasha realized the line was dead. "Dammit!"

Muttering numerous things about his brother, all of them mightily unpleasant, he stalked over to where the cat was lying down and picked it up in his arms. For once, it showed no signs of protesting… the mocking demeanor from before had all but vanished, replaced with a weary, sickly creature. "Come on, you. I'll take you to a vet somewhere… Which is what I should have done in the first place, instead of trying to get anything out of _him_… Think I've seen a sign around… And, don't get me wrong, it's not like I care about you, or anything, you're still a good-for-nothing nuisance… And I'm talking to cat," he finished morosely. Shaking his head, he grabbed his keys and walked out the door.

* * *

After getting lost three times, Inuyasha finally located the veterinary clinic he'd told the cat about. As he walked in the door, a young man- no more than a kid, really- looked up from where he was sitting behind the front desk and flashed a welcoming smile. "Hello… I'm sorry I don't recognize you," he said in a friendly voice… Inuyasha had the feeling that his pleasant manner was genuine, unlike a certain receptionist's, and not a front that he had to struggle to keep up throughout the day. "You must not be one of our regulars. Do you have an appointment?" 

"Uh… no… Do I need one?" Inuyasha asked, taken slightly aback at the anxiety he heard in his own voice. What was he getting so worked up over this cat for?

The boy laughed, but not unkindly. "You're new at this, aren't you?"

Inuyasha gave a sullen, reluctant nod.

"Don't worry about it. Dr. Hirai, the vet, will be free soon… She might be able to squeeze you in before the next appointment. So, what are you in for?" He continued to make light talk.

This was something Inuyasha wasn't used to. This kid was being _nice_ to him… And he hadn't said more than four words to him. "…Uh…"

"Oh, sorry! I forgot to introduce myself… I'm Kohaku Hirai. I'm Dr. Hirai's brother…"

Just then, a door opened beside the reception desk and a balding, middle-aged man walked out, cradling a russet-colored dachshund in his arms. He was followed by a young woman wearing a white lab coat over a pink shirt and jeans.

"Now remember, Mr. Grays, you should only give Chewy his anxiety pills every eight hours, although if he starts acting up again, you can either give him another one when he starts acting nervous again, or increase the dose to three pills. If he doesn't seem calmer within two weeks, feel free to give me a call."

"Oh, thank you, Doctor, thank you! You're going to be all better soon, Chewy, my darling!" Mr. Grays hugged the dachshund ecstatically. The dachshund wagged its tail furiously… then it spotted Inuyasha. Or rather, the cat in Inuyasha's arms.

With a yelp, it wriggled out of Mr. Grays' grasp and hurtled full-speed in Inuyasha's direction.

"Hey, hey! Get away!" Inuyasha cried, standing up quickly so that the cat was out of reach of the dachshund's diminutive maw. "Shoo, you… uh…" He remembered that the dog's owner was present. "Cute little treasure," he hastily amended his much more insulting comment.

But Chewy was persistent in his futile attempts to get at the cat. Yapping furiously, he kept jumping up, but then, as it slowly dawned on him that this wasn't working, he got upset.

And then, he tinkled.

_Now I know what those anxiety pills are for, _Inuyasha thought disgustedly to himself as he observed the little tinkle drops on his pant leg.

By then Mr. Grays had managed to snatch Chewy up and hold him tightly. "Bad dog, Chewy, bad dog!" He cried. "I'm so sorry, but he can't help it… he gets excited easily," he explained to Inuyasha.

"Yeah… I figured," Inuyasha replied, not too graciously.

"Come, Chewy, let's get you home so Daddy can give you your medicine!" And with that, Mr. Grays and his Chewy were gone, gaily traipsing out the door.

During all this, Dr. Hirai had mysteriously vanished, but now she returned with some paper towels, which she gave to Inuyasha. "Here… Sorry about that."

"Thanks…" He tried to mop up his pants, but soon gave it up as a lost cause.

"So… what are you in for?" She asked in a friendly tone much like her younger brother's. They looked eerily similar, Inuyasha noted… if it weren't for the age difference, they could almost be twins. "Your cat…? Oh dear." Reaching for the cat, she took it gently in her arms. "Poor thing… you look wrecked," she said to it softly. "Let's take a look at you."

Without another word to Inuyasha, her attention focused solely on the cat, she turned and walked towards the door she and Mr. Grays had come out of, leaving Inuyasha to trail after.

The door led to a hallway, in which there were several doors; Dr. Hirai took the one on the left, and after Inuyasha had entered he shut it behind him. Dr. Hirai set the cat down on the examining table and took the stethoscope she had draped around her neck, putting the ear pieces in her ears and setting the round, flat disk over the cat's heart. She listened for a few seconds, then took the stethoscope off and set it once more around her neck.

"Heart rate's a bit too speedy for my liking… I'm just going to go get a weight, okay?" Inuyasha nodded, and she picked up the cat and exited through a door in the back of the room, opposite the one they had come in.

A few minutes passed before Dr. Hirai entered once more. "She's too thin… her hips are too prominent. There's not enough fat layer… She needs to gain at least six more pounds before she's the recommended weight." She shot a look at Inuyasha, who nodded in agreement. He'd noticed the cat was a little skinny when he picked her up… then he noticed the chilly way the vet was glaring at him and instantly realized what she was thinking.

He hastily waved his hands at her. "No, no, no! I don't starve her or anything… I just found her yesterday! She's a stray!" Then he did a double-take. "Wait, it's a girl? How can you tell?"

Reassured, Dr. Hirai had turned away, opened the cat's mouth and was now peering down her throat with a small light. "Well, it's true that it can be difficult to determine a cat's gender… but if you know what to look for, you can tell easily given time. And I'm absolutely certain that this is a girl." She examined the cat's eyes, then pressed the stethoscope to her back, listening to her lungs. "A beautiful one at that, once she gains a few pounds." At that moment, the cat gave a raspy cough.

Dr. Hirai stroked her, murmuring, "You poor thing… you really are sick, aren't you?" To Inuyasha she clarified, "She's got a cold… right now it's not too severe, but it could progress into pneumonia if not treated soon."

"Well, can you help her or not?" He demanded, then silently scolded himself. It was just a cat… no need to get all worked up!

The vet nodded. "Yes. I have some medicine that would work well for her. I'll be right back." Once again, she left him to wait while she disappeared into the back room.

A while longer passed before she came back with a small brown, cylindrical bottle with a dropper for the lid. Handing it over to Inuyasha, she said, "Give her half a dropper full of this mixed in with canned food once a day. If she doesn't improve by the end of the week, come back and see me."

"Hey, thanks, Doc," Inuyasha said with relief. "You're not half-bad!"

"They wouldn't have given me my degree if I weren't any more than that," She replied wryly. "Well, have a nice day now, okay? And you, too," she cooed at the cat, rubbing her under the chin.

Inuyasha picked up the cat and felt somewhat gratified to hear her purr. "So… how much do I owe you?"

Dr. Hirai named an estimate that made him blanch. "What the…? I don't make that much money in… well, I don't!" _At least I didn't_, he added morosely to himself.

"Hmmm…" Dr. Hirai pondered for a moment, then slapped her fist decisively into her palm. "Tell you what. If the price is really beyond your means…"

Inuyasha nodded vigorously.

"Then let's make a compromise. If you agree to adopt this cat and give her a good home, I'll cut the fee in half. The adoption fee is only sixty dollars… Would that be acceptable?"

Needless to say, he jumped on it. "Yeah, yeah! That's great!"

"Good." Dr. Hirai smiled. "All right then, just follow me." She headed out the door through which they'd come.

At the front desk, Dr. Hirai rapped on the counter. "Kohaku, we need some adoption papers printed pronto!"

Kohaku sighed and exaggeratedly rolled his eyes at his sister's bossiness, and proceeded to click away on the computer. In no time, papers were sliding out the printer slot.

Dr. Hirai picked them up and deposited them and a pen into Inuyasha's hands. "There you go… sign where indicated, please." She settled back to wait as he wrote down his name, age, marital status, work status (Employed; and he would be soon, so it wasn't exactly a lie), the animal he wanted to adopt, etc, etc.

Name? He hesitated, then scribbled down "Cat". He'd decide later.

When he was done he handed the forms back to Dr. Hirai, who in turn dumped them right in front of her little brother. "These need to be copied and sent right away, if you would, brother dear," she said sweetly.

"Slave driver," he shot good-naturedly at her, collecting and organizing the papers.

"Good boy." She stroked the cat on the head. "I think she really likes you," she said happily to Inuyasha. "You two should get along just fine… er…"

"…Oh. It's Inuyasha," he told her, realizing the reason for her hesitation.

"Inuyasha. And what's her name?"

"Name? Um… I haven't even thought of giving it… her… a name," he admitted kind of sheepishly. "I didn't really think I'd wind up keeping her, so… Anyway, I'm bad at that kind of thing. I'd end up calling her something stupid."

"Okay… well, let's see…" Dr. Hirai peered at the cat. "What about… Kagome! I've always that was a nice name, and she's such a beautiful cat… It suits her, don't you think?"

"Kagome? Hmm… Yeah, that's a good name, I guess." Hesitantly, he patted the cat on the back. "How about it, girl? Are you Kagome now?"

In answer, the cat's purrs increased in volume.

Dr. Hirai laughed. "Well, I guess that answers that question. Kagome it is…" She looked at her watch. "And I have another appointment in about ten minutes, so I guess it's good-bye for now."

"Yeah, bye. And thanks," Inuyasha said.

"Anytime… Bye, Kagome!" Dr. Hirai called as Inuyasha walked out the door. "Get well soon!"

Looking down, Inuyasha could've sworn he saw the cat wink one of her large, green eyes, before settling down to sleep in his arms.

* * *

So... hope you liked it! Please leave a review. The next chapter is in the works and should be up soon, so stay tuned! 


	2. A Long Day

Chapter 2: A Long Day

Okay... So I wrote this knowing absolutely nothing about how things are stocked in hardware stores. Or how things are stocked in general... Just bear with me.

* * *

"Inuyasha, my boy… can you go to the back of the store and get me some… ah… oh yes! Torque wrenches!" 

"Sure thing, Gramps," Inuyasha replied jovially, strolling off towards the back of the store.

"Good, good… Only, maybe could you move a little faster? You know what they say…" The old man held up his index finger and recited sagely, "'Time it is a-wastin'!"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it! Have some faith, would you?"

"It's not about faith, my boy, it's about how fast you move your feet!"

Laughing, Inuyasha picked up his pace from a leisurely crawl to the brisk walk he normally used around the workplace. Reaching the back of the store, he pushed open one of the big black, double doors labeled "Employees Only" to where the stock was kept and quickly found the section he was looking for. Scrolling down the shelves, he muttered to himself, "Deadbolts… S-pipes… light bulbs… torque wrenches." He picked up a box and hauled it back to where his boss was waiting.

"Here," he said, setting it down on the counter with a thump.

"Ah, thank you, Inuyasha." The elderly Mr. Higurashi glanced at the clock on the wall nearby. "Why don't you take your break. After all, it is nearly time…"

"All _right_!" Crowing in jubilation, Inuyasha threw off the tacky green _GoshinWare_ apron that was work protocol and happily skipped away.

"Hey…just one moment, Inuyasha! Come back here… Pick this up!" Mr. Higurashi shook the apron at his employee's retreating back.

"It's okay, Gramps! I'll come back for it!" Inuyasha yelled, drawing ever farther away in his glee.

Sighing, the old man shook his head and stuffed the apron under the counter he was working at. He _would_ come back for it… he may be a nuisance sometimes, he may be a happy-go-lucky slacker at others, but all in all he was a nice, reliable fellow. He didn't know why his cousin, who owned a smaller business on the other side of town, was so ready to launch into a tirade about the "no-good buffoon" after he'd told him about the newest addition to his staff. "Unorganized" he was not… well, all right, maybe a little, but he'd gotten better as time passed. He'd just needed some time to get used to things was all. "Disobedient" and "untrustworthy" were also words his cousin had used to describe the boy… but Inuyasha obeyed all his requests\orders as long as they weren't too outrageous… And after three weeks of work, he felt he knew for himself whether he was trustworthy or not.

"Excuse me, sir…?"

Mr. Higurashi snapped out of his train of thought in order to assist the lost-looking bald guy standing before him, two severed lengths of badly tangled rubber-coated wire in his hands. No, there was nothing wrong with Inuyasha, except that sometimes he acted so unorthodox he could easily be misunderstood. But all in all, he was a good kid.

* * *

"Kagome, I'm hooome!" Inuyasha called as he stepped into his apartment later that night. Immediately, a hale and healthy cat, her soft white, black and red fur carefully groomed, came trotting over on dainty feet to meet him.

"Hey, girl," her owner greeted her, crouching down to scratch her ears. "Did you miss me?"

In answer she rubbed against his hand, purring loudly. "Yeah, I thought you mi-"

Then she bit him.

"OW!" Inuyasha whipped his hand away and glared at her. "Fine, fine, I get it… first food, _then_ the touching reunion with the owner you haven't seen for seven hours."

She purred again, smiling up at him with her eyes.

"Well, it's nice to see where your loyalties lie." Grumbling, but not really meaning it, he went over to the kitchen and put some kibbles and canned food in a dish, then deposited it on the floor. Kagome set to with a will.

Watching her eat, Inuyasha suddenly realized that he could do with some food, himself. He warmed up some instant ramen noodles, a staple he'd had to become accustomed to in his job-jumping days (in those days, his best record for holding a job had been 1 week and five days, tops) and that he now couldn't quite part with. When it was good and hot, he dashed in some salt and pepper and set to with a voracity not unlike his cat's. They were a lot alike in the fact that they loved their food. Food was sacred. Food should be revered like all sacred things.

And then gulped down as fast as possible.

Inuyasha settled down to finish off the rest of the ramen in his comfy TV chair, and flipped on the square box. After surfing all the channels, he finally decided on a documentary on German tanks. Mid-way through, when the deep-throated announcer was discussing the important similarities and dissimilarities in different models' treads, he almost spilled his ramen when Kagome jumped up and curled up on his lap.

"Watch it, stupid cat," he said with mock ferocity.

She didn't even twitch. He sighed and turned his attention back to the tanks.

"_This style did not actually improve the tank's maneuverability, as the manufacturers had originally hoped. Sales plummeted, and soon this addition would backfire as…" _

As the monologue continued, accompanied with black-and-whites clips of soldiers marching beside cumbersome, boxy-looking tanks, Inuyasha gradually zoned out. He could never fool Kagome. She knew when his grumpy moods were not in earnest… just like she knew how to purr and not leave him alone for a second on days he felt like crap. Or like she knew when another Fists of Fury marathon was on, and would pace and meow all over the chair to remind him, because they _had_ to watch it together. This, like the food, was also sacred. She also knew to jump on his head and "play with" (I.e. pull out in bloody clumps) his hair when he forgot to set his alarm.

In turn he'd learned some things about her, namely how to separate her angry meow from her happy mew, and the reasons why she'd seemingly randomly stick a claw into him with a glare. Usually it was something like, "I'm hungry. Feed me NOW!" or "You doofus, you're not paying enough attention to me." Once he'd been stuck just moments before the landlady came around, demanding the monthly rent. The cat was strange like that.

"But you're a good kid, aren't you?" He asked, rubbing her between the ears. Purring ensued, so loudly he could feel it through the chair. Smiling faintly, he turned his attention back to the tube.

True, at first her little quirks had been rather annoying… but pretty soon he'd gotten used to having her around, and then grown to like it a lot. It was a welcome change, coming home to find someone waiting for you, instead of to a cold, empty apartment with your stupid boss' latest tirade still ringing in your ears.

* * *

"Excuse me, where is the lighting department?"

"Over there, end of the store…. Can't miss it. It's where all the _lights _are."

"Hey kid, what do I do if I have this and connect it to this-"

"You blow your fingers off, that's what, _old man_."

"Where are the self-help books?"

"Registers."

"_Excusemepleasewherearethebathrooms?"_

"Over the-"

"_Thankyou!!"_

"Young man! This display… it's absolutely chaotic! I reach in there and come out with something completely different than what I want! You should be ashamed of yourself! I demand that you fix it this instant!"

"Sorry, ma'am, not my problem… you're looking for the guy over there."

As the overbearing lady strutted over to where poor Benny was struggling to cart a ladder over to a high shelf, Inuyasha seized the opportunity to make his escape. As the minutes ticked by, he was starting to hope that he wouldn't have to "assist" any more customers today… But…

"_WAAAAAHHHH_!!"

Inuyasha stumbled, nearly plowing headfirst into a lawn sprinkler display. Whirling around, he snarled, "What is the _matter_?"

The innocent-eyed, forlorn looking little waif standing before him ceased her blood-curdling shrieks to gasp in horror.

Visibly calming himself, Inuyasha finally asked in a quieter tone, "What's the matter, little girl? Are you lost?" He thought he was doing a good job of sounding kindly and reassuring… (What he really came off as was a patronizing jerk. Good thing the little girl was too young to realize that.)

At the word "lost", she started sniffling. "I-I-I can't find my mommy…."

"Okay," Inuyasha sighed. "How about we look for her. What does she loo-"

"I want my mommy!!" She cut him off with another ill-restrained cry.

"All right, all right! Just stop crying, will you? What's she look like?"

She wrinkled her brow and puckered her lower lip, wracking her diminutive brain. At last, she replied with utmost certainty, "She's my mommy."

"I _know_ that. Is she tall? Short? Long hair, short hair? Blonde, brunette? Skinny, fa-"

"_Darling!!_" A woman shrilled from behind him.

"_Mommy!!"_ The girl raced into the woman's arms.

"Where have you been, I was so worried- Oh, thank you for finding her, young man!" The rather plump woman gushed at Inuyasha.

"It, er, was nothing. Really," he replied awkwardly. "Just… don't lose her again, okay? This is a big store," he added rather unnecessarily.

The woman clutched her daughter to her protectively. "Oh, I won't, I won't! Thank you again! Come, dearest, let's go find Poppa!"

And off they went on their happy, reunited way. Inuyasha heaved a sigh and began to make his weary way to his destination once more.

After a few steps, though, he paused.

He actually had no idea where he was really going.

He resisted the urge to smash his head against the nearest metal beam responsible for holding up one corner of a large shelf proudly displaying its selection of doorknobs and padlocks. Instead, he very gently bumped his forehead against it, leaning his arm across it wearily for support.

"Excuse me…"

"What," he asked in a dejected voice, not even bothering to look up.

"I couldn't help but wondering about… Um, are you all right?"

Mumble. "Mfoon."

"What?"

"I'm fine," he enunciated carefully in a monotonous voice. This one wasn't going to leave until he answered their stupid question about hose nozzles or whatever. Better get it over with… He straightened up and turned to face what felt like Customer 312 (but was really only Customer 19)...

She was probably only a couple years younger than himself, with long, straight black hair and shy brown eyes that couldn't quite meet his. Her hands clutched a green plastic shopping basket in front of her containing a small potted plant with red and white buds, as well as a bunch of seed packets and a pair of gardening gloves. To him it looked like this was a slightly defensive gesture.

"Can I help you?"

"I was just wondering… I need some fertilizer, but you seem to be all out… I couldn't find any in there." She pointed in the direction of the gardening center.

"Oh, really? Well, maybe we are out… I could go check."

"Really? I mean, if it's too much trouble, I could always come back later."

"No, it-"

"_Kaede_!"

An expression flitted across the girl's face that Inuyasha couldn't quite name before she turned to look for whoever had called her name. "I'm over here," she called back.

Inuyasha blinked. Another girl had just rounded the corner, and he could've sworn that she and that Kaede were twins. Same long black hair, same brown eyes, same face… But at a second glance, he instantly dismissed that idea. This girl was only about an inch shorter than he was, while Kaede was nearly a head shorter. The tall girl's nose was longer, too, lending her an air of elegance that contrasted slightly with the red halter top and denim SHORT shorts that showed off her fantastic legs. As his eyes were drawn downwards, Inuyash discovered the reason for the girl's height… she was wearing scarlet peep-toed pumps with three inch heels, to match her top.

"Kaede, where have you been?" Inuyasha realized he was staring at those impossibly high heels, wondering how she could walk around in them without falling over, and snapped his head up, not wanting the situation to be read in the wrong way. Fortunately, neither girls' eyes were on him. Instead they were fixated on each other; one pair directed downwards in a glare, the other looking up coolly.

"I've been looking all over for you," the tall girl continued in a disapproving tone that was made all the more so by her deeper-than-normal voice. "It was getting so hot in the car… I thought you said you were only going to be a few minutes! Why weren't you in the gardening section? You know, the only reason I agreed to drive you here was because I have my hair appointment in fifteen minutes… make that _five_ minutes. I'll be lucky if I can get in!"

"I'm sorry, Kikyo… I just couldn't find something, so I had to go find help, and everyone's busy, so-"

Kikyo instantly trained her glare upon Inuyasha at the mention of "help"; he winced, imagining himself at the mercy of another one of her rants. But instead, as she continued to look at him, a warm smile spread across her face, revealing her perfect white teeth. Her eyes practically glowed with geniality as they sized him up.

"Well, _hello _there… I'm sorry if my little sister's been bothering you… I'm Kikyo, by the way, and that's Kaede. What's _your_ name?" She purred, barely stopping to give him a chance to bestow a bewildered greeting on either one.

"Me? Um, I'm-"

"_Inuyasha_!" She pointed at his name tag and laughed in embarrassment. "Oh my goodness, I can't believe I didn't notice that before… Now I feel so _stupid_, asking that when it's right there…" She smiled at him sheepishly. "Then again… Maybe it's better to ask even when it's apparent. I mean, when perfect strangers suddenly know your name… It's so disconcerting, don't you think?"

"Uh… sure." He wasn't sure how to respond to that. He was feeling quite "disconcerted" just being in her presence.

"Well… I guess my sister and I had better get going. Nice meeting you, _Inuyasha_." With a smile and a wave, Kikyo took Kaede firmly by the shoulder and guided her off.

"Kikyo, I still haven't found-"

"Then they probably don't have it. Didn't you say they're busy today? Now let's get going. I'll take you here again some other time. Hurry up!"

They rounded the corner and were gone. Inuyasha gazed after them, a perplexed expression on his face…

What had _that_ been about?

* * *

And so, Chapter 2 draws to a close... Chapter 3 currently in the works! Please leave a review... 


End file.
